UPS labor talks stall as union balks over ‘unacceptable’ offer

More than 300,000 United Parcel Service workers are closer to striking after the company failed to reach an agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, threatening to plunge the US supply chain into disruption if a deal isn’t reached this month. Weeks of talks between UPS and the Teamsters fell apart early Wednesday morning in Washington after stretching through the July 4 holiday, with beleaguered negotiators emerging just after 4 a.m. to say the talks had collapsed. The two sides quickly traded barbs on who was to blame for the breakdown. “This multibillion-dollar corporation has plenty to give American workers — they just don’t want to,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said. “UPS had a choice to make, and they have clearly chosen to go down the wrong road.” The union tweeted that the company presented an “unacceptable offer” that “did not address members’ needs.” In a statement, UPS spokesman Malcolm Berkley said it was the Teamsters who stopped negotiating despite an generous pay offer from the company. “We have not walked away, and the union has a responsibility to remain at the table,” Berkley said. <br/>